
Brazil is not only the biggest country in Latinamerica but also has the largest economy and expects to play a leading role in the global economy in the near future, however a report from the World Bank is not so enthusiastic and points out to a series of challenges the country must address if it wishes to effectively become a super star.

Brazil advanced toward its target of joining the small club of nations that have nuclear-powered submarines with the opening of a naval shipyard installation that will build French-designed submarines.

Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto sounded a warning shot to his ruling party over corruption, saying no one is above the law as he tries to tackle the graft that has blighted its reputation in the past.

Bolivian president, Evo Morales, says his Venezuelan counterpart, Hugo Rafael Chávez Frías, is in stable conditions but still suffering from relapses in his recovery from a fourth round of surgery for cancer. Morales couldn't meet with Chavez but said doctors and relatives of Chávez informed him about his current condition.

The UN Decolonisation Committee has not received any further requests on the Falklands/Malvinas issue, and “there is no such procedure as self-determination regarding the Islands dispute”, according to the C24 president Diego Morejón Pazmiño, standing Ecuadorean ambassador before the UN.

Opposition leader Henrique Capriles accused Venezuela’s government on Friday of repeatedly lying about President Hugo Chavez’s condition, and said the truth will be known within days.

The Brazilian economy grew a mere 0.9% in 2012 despite government stimulus measures, its worst performance in three years, official statistics showed Friday. But prospects for the coming years are considered encouraging given the international events to be hosted by Brazil and the electoral calendar.

Uruguayan president Jose Mujica admits that relations between Uruguay and Argentina’s Cristina Fernandez can be “an impossible mission”, but at the same time praised Venezuela’s Hugo Chavez “as the most generous head of state he has ever met”.

Mexico’s Carlos Slim, probably the world’s richest man according to Forbes has referred to Argentina with certain irony when he was asked about the current foreign currency restrictions and changing regulatory framework implemented by the government of President Cristina Fernandez.

Brazil’s Bovespa-index futures declined with the equity gauge poised for its biggest monthly drop since May, after iron-ore producer Vale SA posted a record loss in the fourth quarter.